David Leclapart l'Aphrodisiaque 2017

Champagne / France
Pas Dosé - Dosage Zerò - Nature

Three hectares of vines spread across 22 different parcels of Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, all on chalky marls. As you would expect, there is a much stronger emphasis here on the vineyard than the cellar where David uses only a minimalist approach. The fermentation is carried out by indigenous yeasts in second-hand barriques obtained from another great biodynamic advocate, Domaine Leflaive. These are bone dry Champagne with a (very) low dosage and only a homoeopathic amount of sulphur added prior to bottling. For Decanter, David Leclapart Champagnes are “highly individual Champagnes, marked by a striking purity and elegance, as well as a racy tension and savoury complexity”. Antonio Galloni (Vinous) finds that “These are rich, vinous Champagnes that benefit from considerable aeration”.
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Although the well-known quote by architect Mies Van der Rohe “less is more” is generally used in the world of the arts, it fits perfectly with the working philosophy of winegrower David Léclapart. Great-grandson, grandson and son of ‘vignerons’, he is a leading champion of biodynamic agriculture with maximum respect for the terroir. Since taking on the family estate in Trepail, east of the Reims mountains, he has been committed to returning to the unique Champagne de Vigneron and has become a benchmark in the region. In order to do so, he lets the terroir, climate, grape variety and people to live in unity, without any intervention that could damage the natural balance of the ecosystem.